Final 3-Day Countdown to D.A. Gascon’s Charging Decision Deadline

After 2 years without justice, the family of Luis Góngora Pat (killed by SFPD officers on April 7, 2016) began their final 3-day countdown outside the Hall of Justice, calling on D.A Gascón to meet his self-imposed deadline for a charging decision by April 25th.

WHEN: April 23-25, 8:30-9:30am, Monday to Wednesday

WHERE: 850 Bryant, San Francisco, CA Hall of (In)Justice

WHAT: After 2 years without justice, the family of Luis Góngora Pat (killed by SFPD officers on April 7, 2016) began their final 3-day countdown outside the Hall of Justice, calling for D.A Gascón to meet his self-imposed deadline for making a charging decision by April 25th.

On February 28, D.A. George Gascón met with the family of Luis Góngora Pat (killed by San Francisco Police Sgt. Nate Steger and Ofc. Michael Mellone on April 7, 2016) and told them he would make a charging decision in “six to eight weeks maximum,” that is, between April 11 and 25.

Last Wednesday April 11, the family of Luis Góngora Pat with supporters launched a 2-week countdown to hold D.A. Gascón to his commitment. Jose Góngora Pat, brother of the deceased, stated, “We have been out here every day telling Gascón to charge the killers of my brother, or let someone else do his job!”

On Monday morning, April 23, outside the Hall of Justice, Luis Góngora Pat’s family started counting down the last 3-days to D.A Gascón’s self-imposed deadline for making a charging decision.

The family and their supporters are well aware of D.A.’s notorious record for never charging police officers who kill. Since 2011, there have been 54 officer-involved shootings, 24 have been fatal. District Attorney Gascón has never once charged a killer cop. Of those killed, whose race is known, 63% were people of color, primarily Black and Latino. Justice4Luis is calling out George Gascón for giving cover to police who murder of people of color in San Francisco.

Luis Góngora Pat was a 45 year old, Mayan Mexican migrant worker, living homeless at the time of his death. Based on a partial video, the official Medical Examiner’s autopsy report, and eight eyewitness testimonies to the media, it is known that on April 7th, 2016 at 10:00am approximately, the two officers exited their patrol car and within 28 seconds, shot Luis Góngora Pat with 5 bean bag rounds to the back as he sat on the ground. Propelled to his feet by the bean bag rounds, officers shot him back down to the ground with seven bullets, killing him with a downward trajectory execution shot to the head as he lay wounded on the ground. More information on Luis’s Story here.

In 2016, the SF Board of Supervisors approved a $1.5 million dollar budget for D.A. Gascon to investigate police criminal misconduct including homicides. The D.A.’s bureau has dismissed the backlog of SFPD killing cases since 2011, without charges. Of fatal OIS cases from 2011 to 2016 only the killings of Luis Góngora’s and Mario Wood’s are pending a charging decision from Gascón. There are new accumulating cases from 2017 and 2018, including Kaita O’Neil and Adolfo Delgado that now need to be resolved.

Family members and supporters will continue their countdown on the steps of the Hall of Justice for D.A. Gascón to “charge the killer cops or resign!”

On Wednesday April 25th, 5pm, Luis Góngora Pat’s Family with supporters will have a press conference with other community leaders, followed by a community vigil for the 24 people killed by SFPD with absolute impunity, since 2011, when D.A. Gascón entered office.

Note: D.A. Gascón lied to the press about making a timeline commitment

On April 11th at the start of the countdown, D.A. Gascón denied in an unrelated press conference that he gave a timeline commitment to the family. Luis’s family and supporters cannot understand why Gascón lied to the press, and if he didn’t lie to the press, than he was lying to the family when he said he would make a decision by April 25th! An audio recording of the February 28th meeting was made publicly available by Justice4Luis on their website shortly after the meeting at https://justice4luis.org/2018/03/07/report-back-recording-meeting-da-02282018/ . Around minute 43:35 to 43:46, D.A. Gascón can be heard telling the family and their supporters that he would make a decision in “six to eight weeks, maximum.”

D.A. Gascón also promised the family in that meeting that he would set up a meeting to give them his decision, before making a public announcement. He has not called them yet.